Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With Erlang Shen leading the way, it wasn't long before Vahn found himself in a large antechamber connected to what he assumed to be the Jade Emperor's throne room. His senses were somewhat limited within the Jade Palace, and, while he could always expand his domain to get a grasp of the situation, he elected not to as it was remarkably rude to spread your perception through someone else's home. He would react hostilely towards anyone that attempted such a thing within the Sage Dragon's Hearth, so, as a matter of course, Vahn elected to keep his domain retracted while visiting the homes of others.

Blocking the entrance to the throne room was an elderly man, who, despite the phenomenal aura exuding from his body, gave off a friendly and approachable vibe. His head was framed with ashen hair that formed a rather stylish beard while his eyes, glistening with a luminescent golden radiance, seemed to penetrate through everything despite his bespectacled, grandfatherly look.

With an appreciative smile on his face, the man, garbed in a wrinkled white robe, black sash, and matching hanfu cloak, caressed his beard as he said, "Xiao Shen...welcome home. It's good to see you. And these must be the Jade Emperor's guests? Welcome to the Jade Palace. This old fellow's name is Huangdi but you're free to address me as Grandfather Huang. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Though he didn't lower his head, Huangdi politely cupped his hands as he maintained a kind and grandfatherly smile. This surprised Vahn quite a bit, as, even before the man had spoken, he had already guessed his identity. After all, suppressing the aura of a Pure-Blooded Dragon, much less one on the level of Huangdi, the Yellow Dragon of the Center, was remarkably difficult.

As someone who had been mistaken as the Yellow Emperor more than once, a smile naturally made its way to Vahn's face as he cupped his hands and stated, "The pleasure is mine. I'm not going to lie. My time in the Heavenly Domain has been far more pleasant than anticipated. Meeting someone of your status and seeing them behave humbly is like a breath of fresh air in a polluted world."

Amused by Vahn's words, Huangdi issued a light chuckle as he reached into this sleeve to produce a red envelope. It was customary for Elders to bestow promising Juniors with gifts during their first encounter, so, while Vahn might not belong to the Jade Palace, Huangdi felt it was only natural he mark their encounter with a blessing.

"Contained within this red envelope is a series of talismans designed to ward away evil spirits. In the outside world, they would qualify as B-Rank Gifts. I hope you'll accept them."

Without waiting for Vahn's response, Huangdi placed the red envelope into his hand before giving him a pat on the shoulder. Then, with the even more grandfatherly smile on his face, he shifted his attention to the duo flanking the large doors connecting to the Jade Emperor's throne room. Both had youthful appearances that resembled 12-13 year old children. What made them stand out was the fact that the girl on the left had subtly green skin that resembled jade while the boy on the right radiated a pale, golden glow.

"Yunu, Jintong, please allow our guests entry to the throne room. His Most Venerable Augustness has informed me that he is ready to receive them."

Cupping their hands, Yunu and Jintong, better known as the Jade Girl and Golden Boy, bowed their heads low, replying, "Understood. Thank you, Venerable One." before promptly raising their heads and grabbing the two massive handles near the center of the set of doors. Their diminutive statures made it appear as if they wouldn't be able to open the massive golden doors, yet, as if they had no weight whatsoever, the duo managed to pry them open without producing a single sound.

Stepping to the side, Huangdi gestured with his left hand before musing, "Please proceed. While the Jade Emperor is unparalleled in his kindness, Empress Xiwangmu can be temperamental. It's best not to keep them waiting."

Raising his brow, Vahn shifted his attention to Erlang Shen, who, noticing his glance, adopted a wry smile as he said, "Hey, it's not like I lied. I just didn't tell you everything. Anyways...I'll see you at the banquet...!"

Without waiting for Vahn's response, Erlang Shen bolted towards the exit. This elicited an amused chuckle from Huangdi, who, waiting until the younger god had departed, remarked, "That boy has only just returned and he's already digging himself a hole. It eases this old man's heart and mind to know there are some things that never change."

With that said, Huangdi gave Vahn another light pat on the shoulder before departing in the same direction as Erlang Shen. It had been three years since he last saw the youthful god so he wanted to catch up before the evening's festivities.

Following the elderly god's departure with his eyes, an appreciative smile developed across Vahn's face as he internally remarked, ("Even if I later find out this was all an act, I'm liking how drastically different things are compared to my expectations. I was genuinely expecting at least half a dozen Young Masters to appear...")

(*Well, the Jade Emperor is known as the God of Benevolence. He may simply be an observer like Ouranos but his mentality has clearly rubbed off on those closest to him. Don't worry. I'm certain there will be plenty of young-master types during tonight's banquet.*)

Nodding his head in response to Sis's words, Vahn took a moment to scratch the underside of Mikoto's chin before giving Fenrir a pat. He could sense that they wouldn't be able to bypass the transparent barrier between the antechamber and the throne room so they would need to wait outside. This might upset Empress Xiwangmu, but, in the grand scheme of things, Vahn was far more concerned with the happiness of his two companions than pandering to a goddess he had never met...

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Seeing Vahn dawdle in spite of Huangdi's advice, a sigh escape the lips of a remarkably beautiful woman with fair features, snow-white hair, and pale pink eyes. At her side, a handsome man with similarly white hair and a body garbed in flowing jade robes couldn't help issuing a soft chuckle. This earned him a pointed look from the woman, but, rather than shy away, the man returned an affectionate smile as he said, "Xiwang...brazenness and youth are as inseparable as young lovers. Let's just enjoy what remains of our peace and quiet until Xiao Wu arrives..."

Hearing her husband mention Sun Wu Kong, a smile promptly replaced the frown on Xiwangmu's face. Others might be disconcerted by Wu's behavior, but, ever since the changes introduced by Wu Cheng'en, she had always taken pity on the motherless monkey. Sure, Wu could be a troublemaker, but, unless they attempted to kill or confine her, she did her best to avoid maiming or crippling her opponents. She just wanted attention and Xiwangmu saw nothing wrong with that.

"You never informed me that Xiao Wu would be attending the banquet. I need to inform the faeries so they don't end up suffering too much when Wu attempts to steal the Peaches of Immortality..."

Amused by the remarkably swift change in his wife's demeanor, the white-haired man, the Jade Emperor, adopted an even more affectionate smile as he extended his hand to gently caress the side of her face. This caused Xiwangmu's anxieties to instantaneously settle, a nearly indiscernible blush coloring her cheeks as she stared into her husband's eyes and muttered, "Darling..."

Inspired by Vahn's actions, the Jade Emperor leaned over to give his wife a kiss. It had been years since he last exhibited his affection for her, so, after witnessing how close Vahn was with Fenrir and Mikoto, he felt compelled to demonstrate his own love. In response, Xiwangmu's cheeks flushed a color that resembled the peaches she guarded. She was unaccustomed to this kind of conduct from her husband, as, after countless eons, romance gradually lost its luster.

Fortunately, like a gem that had accumulated dust, it only took a concerted effort to return its shine. The moment her husband's lips overlapped with her own, Xiwangmu felt as though the world had around them had spontaneously brightened. When they inevitably parted, she felt a bittersweet yet nostalgic wistfulness that caused a smile to develop across her face as she softly whispered, "I want another baby..."

Unable to contain himself, the Jade Emperor issued a light-hearted laugh in response to his wife's words. They already had tens of thousands of children at this point so he didn't see any problems with siring another. He could even peer into the future to confirm that their next child was a girl, a beautiful young goddess with flowing white hair, golden eyes, and a moon-shaped imprint on her forehead.

Though he could learn everything about his future daughter by tapping into his omniscience, the Jade Emperor, much like Vahn, enjoyed being surprised. Thus, the moment his daughter appeared within his mind, he promptly sealed away even her name as he leaned forward to say, "I'm looking forward to it..."

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After thoroughly pacifying his two companions, Vahn entered the Jade Emperor's throne room to find two remarkably tall people seated atop golden thrones. He imagined they could change the size and shape, but, for the time being, both were more than 5m tall even whilst sitting.

Though it was customary to bow and the waist or outright kowtow in the presence of the divine couple, Vahn cupped his hands together as a general courtesy before stating, "It's an honor to meet the Most Venerable and August Jade Emperor and his Empress, the Queen Mother of the West."

As the duo had too many titles to count, Vahn decided to go with the simplest for both. The Jade Emperor was able to see through his intentions, so, with an amused smile on his face, he remarked, "Worry not. Though they can be remarkably useful at times, we care little for such titles. Sincerity is the greatest expression of politeness."

Surprising even his wife, the Jade Emperor rose to his feet before promptly shrinking to Vahn's size. Others might not know the latter's true identity but he had heard Vahn referring to himself as the Sage Dragon Emperor. When he queried the Central Network, the Jade Emperor was able to learn that a Fragment of Origin related to the title had recently formed into existence. Vahn was the only person to refer to themself in this manner, so, after witnessing the moment when Fenrir obtained a fragment of her own, the Jade Emperor promptly decided to regard the recently arrived dragon as his equal.

Not expecting the Jade Emperor to quite literally lower himself to his level, a pleasantly surprised smile developed across Vahn's face as he extended a hand towards the white-haired god. This time, it was the Jade Emperor's turn to be surprised as he had never, not even once, expected to receive an offer for a handshake...

After a very brief moment of deliberation, the Jade Emperor extended his slightly luminescent hand to grasp Vahn's. Both immediately felt the power contained within the other's body. This caused a moderately surprised expression to appear on Vahn's face. As for the Jade Emperor, his eyes, for the first time in his life, had widened to the point they resembled saucers.

"Remarkable..."

Finding himself at a momentary loss, that was the only word the Jade Emperor could think of to describe Vahn's power. It reminded him of the time he had made contact with the System Tree at the very heart of the Little Garden. There was simply no limit to the depths of Vahn's power, and, the further he probed, the more unfathomable it seemed. Thus, after a moment of silence, the Jade Emperor couldn't help remarking, "Your power... it's like coming into contact with the origin of all things. Just who...no, what are you...?"

Amused by the Jade Emperor's reaction, Vahn's smile became marginally more prominent as he unhesitantly replied, "The name's Vahn Aldrnari Mason. To some, I'm known as the Sage Dragon Emperor. To others, I'm known as the Godhand. In this instance, my most important title would be the one I picked up prior to my arrival in the Divine Realm..."

Letting his words hang for a moment, Vahn waited until the Jade Emperor looked like he was about to urge him to speak before adding, "I am the God of Infinite Possibilities."

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Where are all the Young Masters...!?','Vahn has his priorities in order...','This is some giga-dick energy...')